Which battery for the AAA

I ordered an ARC AAA today. Which is the "best" alkaline battery for this light? I know there are Eveready TIs, Duracell Ultra, etc ...

Thanks in Advance.

Rayovac Maximums (Gold/Red) or Rayovac Maximum Plusses (Blue and Silver)

Both are sold at Lowes, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and a variaty of other stores for cheap. The AAA really isn't picky about what you put in it--and it's battery life is impressive enough that in my opinions there's no reason to spend more on premium batteries.

Normally, you can get away with cheaper batteries in a regulated light since the circuitry can hide some of the battery flaws. However, in the Arc-AAA the battery can last several months in normal use so that leakage becomes a more important issue. Also, regulated circuits tend to more completely drain a cell, which can make cheaper brands more likely to leak. If the cell where to leak, you end up with a formula where a 30 cent cell destroys a $30 light.

Taking this into consideration, leakage and price are the most important criteria.

We see a lot of batteries. I have seen most alkaline brands leak. One brand I have yet to see leak is Duracell.

As far as 123 brands, I have not seen any leak (at least under normal conditions ). So, using the cheaper 123 brands will probally be a better bet. The exception is when powering lights only intended for emergency use. We beleive our lights fit more in the EDC class of use so bang for the buck is more of an issue.

Peter Gransee

does leakage really "ruin" the arc aaa though? you can always clean it...right?

PETER -- Sorry for my ignorance, but I don't know what is meant by the "cheaper 123 brands" of batteries. Would the Duracell last as long as any other alkaline? What battery would YOU use?

Thanks for your reply.

Larry in Bend

The 123 battery is a 3.0v that is used in the Arc-LS among other config's.

<<Edit to correct voltage posted when having cerebral flatulence.>>

Right, "123" is short for "CR-123 Photo Lithium Cylindrical Cell". It is rated at 3v (there are 3.6v lithium but they use a different chemistry that is not as suited for high loads). The lithium chemistry permits more energy density than alkaline at a cost penalty. It also has cold weather, load capacity and other advantages.

My point is, leaky lithiums are more rare than leaky alkalines. Therefore, buying a lithium based on price alone is safer than buying a alkaline on price alone. Of course, you must also consider other things like expiration date, etc.

So to summerize, we recommend you spend more on batteries for the AAA and AA packs to get a cell you know will be less likely to leak. But, when buying cells for the 123 size pack, cost can be more of a determining factor since most brands are quite leak resistant.

And the proviso: any cell can leak if the conditions are right. Be carefull to check your cells from time to time and don't leave them in the light for an extended period. I say this especially because these lights are more expensive. Yes, they are also more durable, but cleaning a bunch of battery gunk out of your 2AA pack is still no fun and it just might make the pack unusable.

Peter Gransee

Hi *,

Just posted in another thread. I had problems
with a cheap OEM Version Varta Battery in my ARC AAA in cold conditions. With the supplied Duracell there
was no problem.

Cheers
Ralf

Originally posted by Gransee:
Taking this into consideration, leakage and price are the most important criteria.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Do you know of any reviews or published tests on batteries to show which are less prone to leakage? I don't think that price can be used as a guide to quality on batteries: unit costs are so low that noise from distribution/retailing and quantity dominates.

Eveready, Duracell and others make batteries in several other chemistries and in "Heavy Duty" or "Industrial" lines but I can find no descriptions of these on their company's web sites to say whether they have been heat immunity or just a fancier price tag.

I'm quite willing to trade price to get a more reliable battery, especially for emergency lights left in a hostile environment like a car. But there is no information I can find anywhere to support one battery over another.

I heard (and from an engineer working in a battery factory no less) that a battery will NOT leak unless it is dead first.

Assuming that his advice is correct, this just means that you should promptly change the battery once "moon" mode kicks in, and then you should never have leakage problems. I am not a chemical engierr, but my own anecdotal evidence seems to back this up, though.

Peter, any thoughts on this?